MetroBriefs

Man jumps off abandoned building in Manila

A scavenger broke into an abandoned building of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Manila on Monday in order to leap to his death, according to the police. The unidentified man was described as between 25 and 30 years old, 5’4” tall, with fair skin and long hair. He was clad in a violet T-shirt worn over a pair of red shorts with floral prints.

“He might have simply stepped off the fifth or eighth floor of the 15-story building because he fell from it feet first,” PO3 Jupiter Tajonera of the Manila Police District homicide section told the Inquirer. He explained that this theory was consistent with the man’s injuries which included leg fractures and a dislocated hip.

Tajonera said the alleged suicide happened at around 8 a.m. in the abandoned BIR Building at Anda Circle, Gate 4, Pier South in the Port Area. The body was found by a vendor, Jennifer Salvador, who heard a loud thud, prompting her to check for the source of the noise. She then discovered the man lying on the ground, his body wracked by convulsions.

A 12-year-old kibitzer at the site told Tajonera that he had previously seen the man loitering at Rizal Park. Asked how the scavenger was able to enter the building, the police investigator said that the man apparently went over the gate because there was no security guard assigned to look after the abandoned building. Jeannette I. Andrade

Ex-Malabon vice mayor killed in accident

A former vice mayor of Malabon City died in a vehicular accident on Sunday, it was announced Monday. Bong Padua, chief public information officer of the city government, told the Inquirer that Arnold Vicencio, 41, was killed after the motorcycle he was driving figured in an accident on South Luzon Expressway.

Padua said that the circumstances surrounding Vicencio’s death remained unclear. The victim’s demise, however, was confirmed by his wife, Nadia, he added. Vicencio’s remains will be brought to Floresco Heritage on Dagat-dagatan Avenue in Longos, Malabon. The details for the funeral have yet to be announced by the family.

As a sign of respect for the former vice mayor, the Philippine flag at city hall was flown at half-mast. Employees from the different departments also offered a silent prayer for Vicencio, who served as the city’s second-highest ranking official until he ran for Congress in 2010 although he lost to Josephine Veronique Lacson-Noel. Before being elected as vice mayor, Vicencio served as city councilor during the term of his father, then Mayor Amado Vicencio. “He was with us for a very long time,” Padua said. Kristine Felisse Mangunay

434 motorists apprehended for speeding

A total of 434 motorists were apprehended for speeding during the first four days of the speed limit operations on the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) and Skyway System. On the other hand, 44 others were let off after being given a stern warning. Bus drivers accounted for the majority of violators caught on SLEx while there were more car drivers apprehended on the Skyway System.

From March 1 to 4, Manila Toll Expressway System, the SLEx operator, apprehended 268 speed limit violators. Of the total, 90 were car drivers, 146  were bus drivers and the rest were truck drivers.  On the other hand,  Skyway O&M Corporation, the Skyway System operator, accosted 85 car drivers  and 81 bus drivers.  To further ensure motorists’ safety and convenience, especially during the summer months when expressway  traffic is expected to increase,  MATES and SOMCO will step up their operations to implement the speed limits on the expressway and educate motorists at the same time.

UE to host testimonial dinner for new lawyers

The University of the East (UE) College of Law will hold the traditional testimonial dinner on Friday, March 16, at Century Park Hotel in Manila to honor its 29 successful examinees in the 2011 bar examination and the law faculty of instruction. For more information, call 7355471 locals 324 or 323 or visit www.ue.edu.ph. Dean Amado Valdez of the UE College of Law has expressed his deep satisfaction with the exam results because most of the examinees were working students.